I heard him tell Letterman or someone the other night that up until 9/11, he had attended every funeral for ever public servant that had died during his time in office. I'm talking fireman, cop, trash colector and dog catchers. Everyone. And he made an appearance at each one.

There are so many now, that he has set up a liason committee and sends out people in his stead. Yet, he still sends them a personal letter of condolence.

I'm sorry, but this guy IS a hero in my book. Grace under pressure personified. I wouldn't miss a wink of sleep if he ran for president. It would be a landslide. And I know he would carry New York!

Not just that = on September 12th he walked a bride down her aisle (her father, a firefighter, had died weeks earlier and the mother asked Giuliani to do the honors). And he did it! On Septebmer 12th! This man is everywhere

I don't know Duratuss....he's pretty ambitious. He ran for Senator of NY before dropping out do to prostrate cancer.....and I KNOW he'd run for NY governor, given the chance. I met him once at a news conference....back when the media hated him. The only way I can describe his personality is STRONG. He is a natural leader, not fake in the least, and not afraid of what people think of him and his views. In other words, the kind of guy you want behind the Big Red Button.

I read in the newspaper a week before the WTC attack,an article on how today's American society lacks any real heros or role models.Since Sept.11 we now have thousands and discover new ones every day.Rudy is still holding the No.1 spot.

EddieMoscone: Seeing the effects of this tragedy on the country, and seeing how US citizens, and citizens of friendly foreign states, have come together, it is my belief that at ground zero a massive memorial will be built.

That's the only thing that seems deserving of that space right now.

As for replacing the office space that the WTC held (which is also an extremely important task, I'm not limiting the importance of it), I'm sure natural construction of Manhattan will cover that in time. The offices that the WTC held have been covered by a large amount of random unused office space around the city. But things won't quite seem complete again until another single building is built that will house all of the international companies that rented space in the WTC.

I think that we will build the WTC again, if not to its former height (just as a terrorist-act-deterrent), at least there will be a World Trade Center again, and probably in Manhattan.

Dugoil: Bush's state of retardation is impossible to change. He'll always be handicapped in the speech department. But, as much as I didn't vote for Bush, and I think that he's not exactly doing a very good job of fixing the issue that got him into office (the questionable results of the Presidential election), I'm hella glad to have him standing up as my President in any issue involving deploying US troops overseas.

Not to piss on the "Gee, Ain't he a saint" party, but isn't Guiliani the same "Prick" that was tossing his wife and kids for his secretary or some other such assistant? The same "Asshole" that had his lawyer come out ripping her a new ass ON CAMERA when she has stood by him through thick an thin? The same "Scumbag" that announced his intentions for divorce on the "Prime Time News" before telling her he was gonna publically humiliate her?I mean, this IS the same guy everyone was referring to as ADOLF Guiliani.Just a little reality check.Continue farking.

Frksamor, I'm in agreement. First, no question, Guiliani has done a heroic job in the handling of the tragedy. The only thing I've criticized him for is the "another term not another term longer term"--he should leave office as NYC laws dictate, though if I was a candidate I'd ask Guiliani to stay on to deal with the recovery.

But before 9/11, Guiliani did a lot of stuff that told me he shouldn't hold the job he has now. Don't know if he's changed, or if it's that this disaster is the sort of thing he was born to deal with, but his history is part of him, just like his current success is part of him. And unless I was sure that he was changed, I wouldn't want him as President.

Rudy is the man! The only thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that he won't be running again. Term limits were put in place a few years back, and he's limited to 2 terms, ending in January. The other 3 candidates for mayor pale in comparison to Rudy, both before 9/11 and after. Although he won't be mayor, I'm sure he'll head up FEMA, or maybe the Port Authority.

And although most people think he's an asshole for limiting "freedoms" in the City, as a Bronx resident, I don't think I've ever seen the borough in better shape.

"And unless I was sure that he was changed, I wouldn't want him as President."

GadgetDon: We did a damn good job of electing Bush, Jr. as President without being too sure he stopped using cocaine.

And drugs are the last thing I'd take anyone's "word" on that they quit. Been there, done that, spewed that lie of a promise on many of my family members with a clear conscience. It wouldn't take much for someone to lie to the entire American public, after lying to your close friends and family.

Aorlando, Before the Attacks, Rudy was "King Scumbag"... What insight do you have that any of the prospeective candidates wouldn't do a similar if not better job OVERALL (Not just dealing with the WTC atacks)?Term limits are NECESSARY to make politics a growth and progressive activity, not a "Same old, Same old", "if it ain't too broke, why fix it" situation.Rudy managed to (applying word carefully) "Use" this situation to polish his severely tarnished and corroded appearance.

I don't necessarily agree 100%. I'm not debating the merits of term limits. I actually support them. However, The City was a mess after the Dinkins Administration. Crime was at all time highs and you couldn't set foot in the South Bronx without fear of robbery. Crack was everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Times Square was a veritable den of iniquity. Hookers, creeps, and drug addicts abounded with no response fromt he police. Then when Rudy came on board, things changed. The nudie movie theaters and adult "bookstores" went away, and the City became vibrant again, even in the Outer Boroughs.

Then on 9/11 Rudy really stepped up to the plate. A lot of his "quality-of-life-improvement policies were (and are) a pain the neck. But he's a lame duck mayor. His term has 90 days or so left. He could have just handed the reins to the Feds and told Mark Green or Mike Bloomberg to handle it themselves once the election takes place.

As for what the other candidates would do if they are elected, I think that overall the City is going to degrade back to the way it was in the 70s and 80s (High crime rates, high teen pregnancy rates, high(er) truancy rates). However, the WTC situation, and the policies that have arisen from the attack, will remain in place. The new mayor will make NYC a safe place to be from terrorists, but not necessarily from the criminal element.

Having driven in and around NYC and the burroughs, I know that a lot has improved but I still think Guiliani is, overall, a self-serving, cold-blooded, whoring, bastard. I think that the city will do what the city has always done... Exist as the inhabitants want it to. Harlem isn't better for Guiliani, it is better for the federeal assistance the Clinton Administration made available to it, crime isn't better for Guiliani, it is better for police officers doing there jobs with more pride (As seen at the WTC).Guiliani has a whole lot more bad qualities than good and I still think that he has, in some ways, used the WTC attacks to further his own goals.By not immediatly denouncing and further refusing to "Debate" term limit extensions, he proved he was sel;f serving. He is not the guy in the trenches doing the real work... The relief workers, police, firemen and neighborhood good samaritans are. Guiliani is a figurehead.But, as ever, thankfully, we can agree to disagree... Terrorists will not steal these rights from us.Fark On with Pride!

Guiliani is not a nice person. As a New Yorker, I still can not forgive him for his Gestapo-like tactics in making this city a wonderful place to live, at least if you're a well-off white person with a yen for Disney and other mass-culture drek.

i work in manhattan. Before Giuliani, I was afraid to wlk around the city alone. Now it's the safest city in America. (4 homicides in a city of 8,000,000 workers last week is the lowest murder rate for a city in the nation).

Giuliani cleaned out the porn, the peep shows, the drugs, the gangs, the mafia and made us proud to be New Yorkers.

And then 9/11 happened and showed the rest of the world what a lot of us already knew. He is NOT like other politicians.

Giuliani may have been tough as a leader, from the Diallo shootings to his stance on the Catholic artwork, but a tough leader is what New York needs, marraige problems or not.

I really don't see what a person's personal life has to do with their leadership,,,,,,unless of course it would affect their leadership, like Giuliani's prostrate cancer. So why bring that up.

On a side note, ever see Giuliani handle tough questions about his personal life? "DON'T BE A JERK!" (He chides the reporters). I don't think too many reporters would have dogged Clinton had he publicly berated them for asking gross questions.

Anyhow, an affair with a 21 year old intern is much different than an affair with a 50 year old professional women. It seems to go above sex, more into the realm of another type of companionship. I'm not talking from a moral perspective - adultery is adultery. But from a maturity perspective, what Clinton did was gross compared to wat Giuliani did.

When the fark did the idea surface that to hold public office you had to be perfect? Have any skeletons in your closet? Something that might make people point the finger and tsk, tsk, tsk you? It doesn't matter if your'e competent and know what the fark to do, you'd better have a "G" rated lifestyle or they're gonna rake your ass over the coals. What bullshiat!

But, Dammit! I miss the porn, the peep shows, the drugs, the gangs and the mafia (Thank god for the Soprano's).And what do you mean by this?"Anyhow, an affair with a 21 year old intern is much different than an affair with a 50 year old professional women. It seems to go above sex, more into the realm of another type of companionship. I'm not talking from a moral perspective - adultery is adultery. But from a maturity perspective, what Clinton did was gross compared to wat Giuliani did."I think having sex with a 21 year is a HELL of a lot better than with some wrinkled up old 50 year old coont. I think getting head and ass grabbing does not come even close to Tossing your wife and kids, and announcing your divorce intentions on the NEWS before telling the current wife.Guiliani is in many ways more morally corrupt than Clinton.Just cus the Farker had the right staff on hand to handle this crisis does not make him a better person, just more prepared.

That is exactly the point I was going to make. And in my mind, the Bush administration is failing horribly. Not only are there ridiculous standards being applied in a knee-jerk fashion, they haven't even been applied consistantly.

Jaxomlotus-I agree with you buddy. Giuliani may not be perfect, and airing his dirty laundry may not gave been the best PR move ever, but the fact remains, The City is the safest it's been in 40 years. The City in general is a great place to be. As far as having an affair with a 50 year old, who cares? Donna Hanover is an unhappy vindictive woman. Judy is much better for him anyway.

And one last thing, Frksamor, "Having driven in and around NYC and the burroughs" is no substitute to living in the City and seeing the progress this City has made over the past 8 years. I am 25 and with the exception of 4 years for college, I have lived in the Bronx my whole life. I remember Ed Koch basically throwing his hands up and saying "I've had enough." and David Dinkins just farking the City up even more.

As a side note, one of you mentioned the Diallo thing. If Dinkins or Koch would have been mayor when something like that had happened, one of two things would have happened. 1) The hypothetical Diallo would not have been shot because there would have been no police patrols in Soundview (one of the most drug infested sections of the Bronx and where Diallo was shot) or 2) Had the victim been shot by police, the City would have burned from the riots.